US EPA approves Sniffer drone system for methane leak detection

snifferdrone drone methane leak detection

In a first, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has approved the use of a drone-based solution to detect methane leaks at municipal solid waste landfill sites.

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FAA extends drone ban over Keystone oil spill site in Kansas

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a second notice to pilots and drone operators in Kansas, prohibiting them from flying over the site where TC Energy’s Keystone pipeline spilled nearly 600,000 gallons of sludgy oil into a creek earlier this month.

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Carbon-absorbing seaweed is making a comeback in California, drone footage shows

The undersea equivalent of tropical rainforests, kelp forests are one of Earth’s most diverse and beneficial ecosystems. But in California, the last few years have seen a near-complete annihilation of the kelp following a marine heatwave that started in 2013. Now, drone surveys are showing signs of recovery.

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New Zealand drone company speeds pace of nation’s effort to plant a billion trees

A home-grown drone services company has considerably accelerated New Zealand’s drive to plant a billion trees by 2028 through aerial drops of so-called “seed bombs.”

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The Durrells (yes, those Durrells) use drones against wildlife poachers

The foundation established by famous naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell – whose books on his eccentric English family inspired the smash series The Durrells in Corfu – has turned to drones in its efforts to protect endangered animals around the world. The most recent example of that finds The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust deploying the craft in Madagascar to prevent poaching of a rare species of lemur.

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Utilities can save millions with this drone water sampling system

Every year, New York City spends over $1.4 million to collect water quality samples. But now, a new drone-based solution can help NYC, and over 50,000 other water utilities in the United States, to slash their water sampling costs by up to 90%, and sample collection time by 75%.

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